As prices fall and technology improves, home theater systems continue to gain in popularity. Along with the equipment necessary to recreate the movie theater experience in our living rooms, comes a growing collection of little control boxes that inevitably seem to pile up on our coffee tables. Thankfully there is a solution to help deal with this clutter and confusion.
In an attempt to reduce coffee table clutter, many manufactures are now providing us with multi-function remote controls that can work several devices such as a TV, DVD player and VCR. The problem with most multi-function remotes is that they are usually manufacturer specific, and require you to stay within that manufacture's product line.
Enter the universal remote control. What separates a universal remote control from the more common multi-function remote is its ability to operate many different types of equipment from many different manufactures. Thanks to the universal remote control, we can freely choose the best equipment to suit our needs without having to worry about remote control compatibility issues.
The most sophisticated type of universal remote control is the "touch screen". A touch screen remote is like designing your own remote from a blank sheet of paper. You design the buttons, place them on the screen, and tell each button what to do. This is the most flexible type of remote, but is often the most difficult to setup. Most touch screens require the use of a computer on which the interface is programmed, and then downloaded into the remote control itself.
There are many other types of universal remote controls that are easier to program but offer less flexibility. Some have buttons only, while others may use a mix of buttons along with an LCD screen that can be labeled by the user. Some people prefer buttons to the touch screen because buttons provide a tactile feel, and hence can be operated without looking at the remote control.
When shopping for a universal remote control there are a few key features that you should look for. The first is learning ability. The remote should be able to import the IR code from any other remote control. This way you can teach it to work virtually any type of equipment from any manufacturer. The second is Macro capability. Macros enable you to string several commands together, so that multiple operations can be performed with a single button push.
No matter which type of universal remote control you choose one thing is for sure, clearing the clutter from your coffee table will go a long way towards making your home theater system a whole lot easier to live with.
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